Senior prepress experts' understanding of network attributes

Dots are the basic units that represent the hierarchy and color changes of continuous tone images, and are the foundation of printed images. They play a role in conveying the tone of the layout. The status (size and shape) and behavioral characteristics of the network will affect whether the final printed material can correctly reproduce the original tone and color changes. This article will invite senior prepress experts to share their interpretations of the four attributes of the network.
dot size
The size of a branch is determined by its coverage rate, also known as the branch area ratio. It is usually represented by "cheng". 10% of the branches are called "10%", 20% are called "20%", and so on.

Before color separation, the first step is to confirm the percentage of internet points at a certain point. The number of network points can be measured using a density meter: first measure the integral density of the network points, and then convert it into a percentage of the network point area. This method is more scientific.
Another method of measuring the dot count is visual inspection: determining the size of the dot count based on the relationship between the dot and the blank.
The pattern is as follows:
If three equally sized dots can be filled in between two dots, this size of dot is called "one tenth", which is 10%;
If two equally sized dots can be filled in, it is called "20%", which is 20%; If 1.5 equally sized dots can be filled in, it is called "30%", which is 30%;
If 1.25 equally sized dots can be filled in, it is called "40%" or 40%;
If black and white are in half, this size of dot is called "50%", that is, 50%;
Starting from 50%, the network points will overlap. For ease of calculation, the black and white network points can be inverted, with the paper color blank as the reference. For example, three equally sized blank points can be filled between two paper color blank points, which is "90%" or 90%.
Of course, if the sample itself is a printed product, then the percentage of network expansion should be considered. The percentage of network expansion is not only related to embossing, but also to the shape of the network.
dot shape
The shapes of the dots include circular, elliptical, square, chain (diamond), cross, diamond, linear, scatter, and other special shapes. The most commonly used network shapes in China are circular, square, and chain.

Firstly, we need to determine the dot shape of the sample, and then understand the dot expansion of different dot shapes during printing, in order to restore the ideal state of the electronic manuscript of the sample.
Below are the characteristics and properties of several types of dot shapes:
When expressing the hierarchy of the image, the dots in the high and middle tones are parallel, and only in the low tone do the overlapping phenomenon begin to appear. When the percentage of circular dots is about 78%, the surrounding area is the longest, and at this time, the dots begin to overlap, and the dot expansion is the largest;
Square network points have the longest circumference at 50% of the network points, and at this point, the network points begin to overlap, resulting in the largest expansion of the network points and a tendency to skip levels;
The chain shaped network points are diamond shaped, especially after overlapping, showing obvious chain like shapes. Due to the short axis and long axis of the chain shaped network points, the overlapping areas are located at 35% and 65% respectively, so the expansion of the network points is the largest at these two locations.
It is worth noting that the expansion of dot area caused by overlapping in printed samples must be taken into account when color separation.
Point of View
The dot angle refers to the angle between the dot arrangement line and the horizontal line. Generally speaking, when the angle difference between two types of network points is between 30 ° and 60 °, the overall interference fringes are more beautiful. When the angle difference is between 15 ° and 75 °, the interference fringes are more obvious and will produce Moir é fringes, commonly known as turtle patterns.

From a visual perspective, a 45 ° dot angle produces the most comfortable and beautiful visual effect, making it the preferred angle for the main color tone in monochrome or multi-color. The dot angle of 0 ° has the worst visual effect and is generally used for the weakest color plate, such as the yellow plate.
Number of branch lines

The size of a branch is affected by the number of branch lines. The higher the number of branch lines, the smaller the branch lines, and the higher the precision. The common numbers of Ethernet cables are 80lpi, 100lpi, 150lpi, 175lpi, and 200lpi. The determination of the network cable can be measured using a network cable gauge.